Forget-Me-Not
by StreetsIsCold
Summary: Homura is stuck in a timeline in which the only two survivors of the Walpurgisnacht attack are her and Sayaka. They've lived in a tense pseudo-friendship for three years until, struck with loneliness, they decide to take a leap together. Could they possibly fill the void in one-anothers' hearts? [Homu-Saya] [Non-Rebellion] (Now with lewd scenes!)
1. Chapter 1

A.N.: Hello, everyone! Brand, spanking-new fanfiction here for you all, or at least the start of one. This may go a little long, and will definitely turn mature in the future. Starring one of my favorite unpopular ships! I love the tension and dynamic between these two! 3

I wanted to make a shoutout to the fanfiction Soul Intercourse, which got me into this ship in the first place, which was co-written with another author by my favorite writer on the site, Angel0Wonder. Go check it out if you're interested!

Also, I sorely wanted to credit the artist of the cover photo I used, but I can't for the life of me find them. And if I could, I would need google translate because all research points to them being a pixiv artist. Anyways, without further ado:

Chapter 1

Sayaka stared vacantly up at the ceiling, watching the coin spin up in the air before landing on her abdomen. Picking it up, she balanced it on her thumb another time, flicking it back up in the air.

"Can't you find something less repetitive and irritating to do while you wait?" Homura asked, pouring over her work, which had already consumed the past hour.

"Like what? You have annoying habits too!" Catching the coin, Sayaka considered obeying Homura and stopping, but rebellious streaks were hard to break, and she opted to instead allow herself this small victory by spinning it right back up.

"I do not. Name one." Homura challenged in an even tone, Sayaka sat up instantly, looking over at Homura, who was still leaning over the papers, glasses on.

"Flipping your hair." Caught off-guard, Homura reached up to toss her hair aside dismissively, but paused halfway upon realizing that would only serve to solidify Sayaka's point. Snickering, the less experienced magical girl lay back down on the couch. "What'cha workin' on anyways?"

"Scheduling. Though it's likely my supervisor won't approve of it regardless." Homura said, her pen hovering over the paper in front of her, motionless as she stared out the window.

"Anything wrong?" Homura paused as though hesitating before she answered, stacking the papers and pushing them aside.

"I'm just having trouble concentrating. Today's been a bit trying. Let's go grocery shopping, we need to do that anyways and I need to go to work soon anyways." She looked over at Sayaka, "Would you like to come along?"

Her roommate had already sprung to her feet and thrown on the closest sweater she could find.

"You bet your ass I wanna come along!" Cabin fever had struck Sayaka hard-now even an excursion as small and uneventful as shopping seemed attractive.

x-x-x-x-x

"Come on, spoil me a little!~" Sayaka tittered, leaning on the shopping cart as Homura reached forward and took the package of cookies from her hands, sparing them a single glance before replacing them on the shelf.

"No, we have enough financial troubles without you getting any ideas about needing to be spoiled. Between your freeloading-"

"Hey, in my defense, you said I COULDN'T get a job." Sayaka retorted, huffing at Homura, who continued past her along the aisle.

"-between your _inability to work_ , and my job paying me just enough for the two of us to get by, with a little extra to save in case of emergencies, I don't think we need to splurge." Homura shot a look back at the sweets, frowning. "I didn't even know they made cookies that expensive."

"They're gourmet. I didn't say I wanted to be spoiled by a cheapskate." Sayaka grumbled, giving one last look back at the package as Homura sighed and looked over their list.

"If sweets are that important to you, then go find some cheaper ones, I'll buy whatever you scrounge up." Shrugging, suddenly off-put, Sayaka crossed her arms and scuffed the ground with her shoe, sticking her hands into the spacious pockets of the baggy grey hoodie she was wearing.

"Nah. Forget about it, if it's that much trouble." Homura paused, having spent enough time around Sayaka let her know some of the other girl's intricacies. She turned around and looked back at the box on the shelf, the white and red speckled bow looking oddly familiar.

"I've seen those before. They're the same ones you bought on your anniversary. For-" Catching herself in time, she looked back to see Sayaka clenching her forearm morbidly, eyes turned towards the ground, Homura turning to save her face and grabbing hold of the cart. "Apologies."

"Whatever." Sayaka responded, jerking her head forward and walking ahead. "Let's keep going. I have a show to catch in an hour."

Ever since Homura took her in, Sayaka had done her best to stay amicable. It was unlikely she'd ever be able to go back home, so learning to get along with her new housemate was just another part of the process.

Though it did require a lot of tolerance. Conflict was common, but they now knew how to handle it, neither finding a resolution, but instead just turning the other way and taking a few minutes to focus on the perks of NOT beating one-another into a fine paste.

It worked in its own strange way. For the moment at least.

"We're going to need to find a more permanent solution about your living habits." Homura said, crossing another item off their shopping list.

"You saying you want me to move out?" Sayaka asked, half-heartedly arranging the pile of groceries in a pyramid, trying to keep her voice even; without Homura, she was completely alone in the city. Despite their differences, she knew that the stoic Magical Girl was her only chance at getting by without complete independence.

"I didn't mean to suggest that. All I'm saying is that, if we can disguise your identity properly, you could potentially get a job. Or at the very least, you could get back in school." That sounded a lot more tempting than it should have. During her stay in Homura's house, Sayaka had learned two things. One, that having nothing but free time is not all it's cracked up to be, and two, that self-teaching things is _hard_.

"Well, I'm more than up for that. We can have a brainstorm sesh once we get home." Wheeling towards the checkout counter, Homura shook her head.

"I told you, I need to get ready for work once we get home. And you have chores you've been slacking on. Why do you think I woke you up early this morning?" Sayaka, reminded of her early rising, let out an exaggerated yawn.

"Because you like watching me suffer." Homura contracted the yawn in turn, trying to cover up her mouth before giving Sayaka a weary frown. The bluenette slipped a pack of gum into the pile of supplies. She meant what she'd said; a little splurging never hurt.  
x-x-x-x-x

The apartment door opened, and the pair walked through, Homura used the same step to pivot and kick it shut behind her before turning back to Sayaka.

"Here." She said, dumping the bags into Sayaka's arms unceremoniously. "Put these away. I'm going to go get ready."

Begrudgingly complying, Sayaka turned to place the bags on the counter, burning another three seconds to forget about them. Procrastination was always a strong suit of hers.

About to throw herself on the couch, Sayaka felt an thought strike her and turned to fetch her favorite idea-crusher.

Throwing open the door to Homura's room, she walked in. It was as organized and lifeless as always, the only personality around taking shape in a few simple drawings framed and clustered in one side of the room.

"Hey, Homu—" Homura stool in the corner, her back turned, torso bare save for the strap of her bra, trying those long, glossy black trails of hair up in a bun as she half-turned and gave Sayaka a cold glare.

"Out." In a single motion, Sayaka pivoted and left the room as Homura walked towards the door, firmly closing and locking it, her voice halfway between a scoff and a growl. "I swear, who opens others' doors without knocking?" Swallowing her apology, knowing it would only get her more chastising, Sayaka instead continued with her thought.

"I...was just gonna ask. About the whole going back to school thing, maybe we might be able to change my hair color with magic. Do you think that would work?" Silence was the only thing that came from the other end before the lock clicked open and Homura emerged in her work attire, the bun fastened more securely, giving a thoughtful sigh.

"It's an idea. People would still be able to recognize your face, and we'd need to enroll you under a fake name and keep you away from any old classmates. So long as you stay away from your neighborhood, it should be a fair cover." Grabbing a few papers from the counter, Homura turned and opened the door. "But we'll discuss that once I'm back. I'll be later than usual, so let's not have a repeat of last month."

Sayaka crossed her arms, her cheeks coloring red in embarrassment, trying to save face. "It was your _birthday_."

"Irrelevant. You still spent the better part of your day cooking only to have it grow cold while I was working overtime." Stepping out of the apartment, Homura closed the door behind her unceremoniously as Sayaka walked over to one of the old, stiff couches and dropped her weight into it before the door opened again. "And if I come back and those groceries aren't put away, I'm throwing you off the balcony." Groaning, Sayaka rolled over on the couch as the door closed again, with finality this time.


	2. Chapter 2

**TRIGGER WARNING** : Suicide mention and light dubiously consensual sexual activity. I'll provide a re-cap of this chapter in the next in case you'd like to skip it.

A.N. Howdy folks! I wanted to get that warning out there. It sounds worse than it is, but I handle the topics seriously, and this will be the darkest content the fic provides, I can promise that. Still, I wanted to ensure I didn't make anyone too uncomfortable.

Things get a bit dodgy, but they quickly pick back up, so stick with it! The rest will be much happier—for a while. Anyways, enjoy! Kisses!

Chapter 2

The groceries put away, and all the necessary textbook chapters read, Sayaka busied herself with television and checking the time every now and again. Homura was terrible company, even at the best of times, but she was still better than silence, and with her recent social isolation, Sayaka considered the scraps of time spent around Homura to be the highlights of her day.

Actually, thinking back on it, even though they _had_ to spend time around one-another, Sayaka didn't know that much about Homura. Her roommate's things were strictly off-limits, but…

Sitting up, she stared at the closed door and debated with herself. Ethics never were her strong suit.

"All right, Miki. So, on one hand, Homura took you in and now pays for your living conditions despite kind of hating you, so betraying her trust and invading her privacy could go really bad."

On the other, she won't tell you much about herself, getting to know her better might help you feel less awful about taking advantage of her like this, and there's...that whole situation." Resting a nervous finger against her teeth, Sayaka thought of the drawings she'd seen inside, and toyed with the idea that Homura might keep a journal or...something. Just to see if there was anything, _anything_ hidden in the nights they spent together. "There's just too much to gain."

Shooting one last look at the clock, Sayaka nervously started towards the door and wrapped a hand around the knob-would it really be that easy?

Locked. Obviously. Why wouldn't it be locked? Homura was a mystery stapled in a folder marked "top secret" and dipped in the glue of paranoia.

"There's gotta be another way…" Sayaka mused, briefly considering breaking the lock, but knowing that would just stress Homura out more. And having a tense Homura took away the only bearable hours in Sayaka's day with moody silence.

Turning, she noticed the window and remembered from the layout of the other room that there was a window on the opposite side. Reaching up and tugging a lock of hair, she weighed the risks and rewards once more. Climbing along the building almost seemed like a more sensible option than breaking the lock and pissing off Homura. Dying from the fall would at least be cleaner.

Summoning her soul gem, Sayaka transformed and looked down at her outfit, balancing on the tips of her toes and shaking out the restful sensation from her nap on the couch before heading towards the window.

She knew Homura would give her hell for wasting magic on something like this...but Sayaka didn't count on Homura finding _out_. Walking over to the window, she flipped the latches to their unlocked positions and balanced her legs out of the sill, looking down at the street below.

Taking a breath to steady herself, she slipped off the side of the building, catching herself on a glyph almost instantly, the wind from her inertia whipping through her cape as she turned on the circle of runes and gave a light bounce towards Homura's window, about two meters away. She grabbed onto an outcropping above it, the tips of her toes resting on the bottom of the window, and reached down to tug up the pane. Easy as that.

Crouching, she slipped into the room before reminding herself that there was really no need for stealth considering there was no one else home. Easing herself onto the floor, she looked around at the furnishings, getting a more comfortable analysis.

The whole thing was neat and orderly, and almost devoid of color. Homura's old apartment had gotten destroyed in the calamity of Walpurgisnacht, but a large number of the bland, fancy furnishings had been salvaged. Those that were recovered now sat around their new apartment, still as immaculate as they were before the storm, seemingly factory-fresh.

Among these were Homura's bed, with dark blue quilts and a pure white frame, and her dresser, equally pale, as well as the picture frames filled with drawings. Sayaka looked around, curiously and cautiously. She'd half a mind to wonder whether Homura had any landmines around, but dismissed the thought-she wouldn't want to destroy some of the things she'd hoarded in here.

On the topic, Sayaka stopped in front of the drawings. Sketches of a fluffy pink dress, worn comfortably by a smiling girl. Several different spots bore small circular drops-likely from the rain of that night.

Reaching out, Sayaka touched the ragged paper, brushing her thumb on Madoka's signature on the top of the doodled worksheet. She sincerely doubted Homura had retrieved Madoka's old drawings in any legitimate way; from what she knew of the time-traveller's story, it was unlikely Madoka's parents had even known she'd existed in this timeline. The heartbroken girl had probably just frozen time and stolen them.

Shaking her head, Sayaka turned back around, sitting down on Homura's bed. The mattress was cheap and uncomfortably stiff. Figures, Sayaka had half a mind to look around for the stick that Homura had up her ass half the time.

"All right. If I were a manic, DeLorian-themed Magical Girl, where would I hide my private things…" Sayaka asked herself, cracking her neck for effect before going about frisking her roommate's belongings.

Most of the drawers contained piles of information from her old apartment, documents and projections filled with information on Walpurgisnacht. The dresser had scant amount of casual clothing, one pair of pajamas, and even less formal wear. Homura's closet was taken up with piles of weapons and ammunition, likely to lessen the amount she'd need to store in the extra-spacial storage of her shield. Beside the guns were a small selection of close-quarters weapons, which made Sayaka wonder if melee sparring with Homura might be fun.

Under her mattress was...nothing. Probably not surprising all things considered. It might've been a bit cliché to have expected anything, but still worth a try. Getting desparate, Sayaka checked the bathroom, which was surprisingly full-the most notable thing being the six different kinds of shampoos. She should have expected that though, you don't get hair as illustrious as Akemi Homura's by running it under some hot water.

Finally, Sayaka had the presence of mind to check the nightstand, tugging the bottom drawer first-locked.

"Hello!" She said with interest, kneeling in front of it and wrapping two fingers around the knob, ready to tug the drawer straight out of the frame before pausing and checking the top one, which slid open readily. "Oh. Might be a key in here…"

The drawer held no key upon being rummaged through, but did contain some other trinkets. Two small bows, alongside a pair of thin-framed glasses, a single red ribbon (Sayaka knew that its twin remained steadfastly tied to Homura's left wrist), and a very stereotypical, orange-covered store-bought journal. The front emblazoned with chicks and flowers, and a shaky, wobbly variation of Homura's signature lining the cover underneath the phrase "This Journal Belongs to:".

"Oooh...jackpot~" Sayaka sang to herself, sitting back on the bed and cracking the book open. She mentally reminded herself that she should take invading Homura's privacy as a tactic to get them closer, and not as a way to stave off boredom, but this was the most interesting thing she'd done in weeks. Even the occasional witch hunt got droll.

The handwriting inside was just as wavering and twitchy as that on the cover, and the margins were covered in small doodles to compliment what was being said. What surprised Sayaka the most wasn't the lack of neatness, or the drawings; it was the content. The first entry was labeled as three years ago, the month before Walpurgis Night.

' _Hello!...I'm not sure who I'm saying hello to, but it's difficult to know where to start off with this sort of thing. Mother got me this journal before I left to the new hospital, she said she bought it just because it was the first thing she saw on the shelf, but I'd like to think it was chosen special by her._ ' Sayaka paused and listened for any hint of the noise, considering the content so far, it's likely that Homura finding her now would _at least_ merit her being drawn and quartered...if not something worse.

' _Whoever's reading this, I'm Akemi Homura, I'm in the hospital right now, and I'm about to start school again. I'm really nervous, a little excited, but mostly nervous. I've been in the hospital a long time now, and I never had friends at my old school, since I was never pretty, or athletic, or got good grades. I just hope that now things get better._ '

Hospital?...that's right. Saotome-sensei _had_ mentioned that. She'd never said why though, just that Homura had transferred in from a private school. It had been so long ago that Sayaka sat for a couple more minutes reminiscing before she remembered to focus back on the journal before Homura got back.

' _My first day was awful...everyone wanted to get to know me, but I just got embarrassed and couldn't talk to anyone. I was behind in all of my subjects, and didn't know anything, and in gym, I couldn't even run a single lap._

 _But, then after school, I saw something...really weird. Everything around me looked painted in, and there were monsters inside. I swear it happened, but it almost felt like it wasn't real. Then a girl I'd met from school, the nurse's aide, Kaname-san, saved me. Along with another girl, a blonde senior, and a strange cat-like creature._ '

So that was how Homura met Madoka. A little like how Sayaka herself and Madoka had met Mami, saved while they were being targeted by a witch.

' _I found out afterwards that the blonde girl's name was Tomoe, the creature's name was Kyuubey, and that they were magical girls. Even though they sometimes got scared, they still fought to save people, I want to be that way-_ '

Checking the time, Sayaka saw that it was still early, but decided that she could backtrack later, wanting to know more if Homura still wrote in it. Flipping through the pages, Sayaka noted that the dates stopped after a few repeat months, and a few time loops, which were marked by a small infinity symbol and a number next to it in the top corner of the page. After loop four, the number jumped right to one-hundred and thirty-seven. The same one, as Sayaka had found out, that Homura was currently in with her. The handwriting was now neat and loopy, perfectly uniform, looking almost like typography, the date a couple days after the fight with Walpurgis.

' _I am stuck in this time loop. Tomoe Mami met her fate at the hands of the sweets witch outside of the hospital, Sakura Kyouko died fighting Walpurgisnacht, and Madoka.._.'

Sayaka's stomach churned at the mention of Kyouko again. Those memories were not as easily forgotten as a bag of groceries left on the counter-she could still practically see Kyouko's body, crushed and twisted, in her mind's eye.

Dispelling the thoughts and reading onward, she cringed at Madoka's name, still remembering the way Homura had very nearly broken down completely when she'd destroyed Madoka's soul gem and found herself unable to reverse time. She'd lashed out at Sayaka, badly,

Not to mention from Sayaka's perspective at the time, Homura had just murdered her best friend and seemed broken up about it. She hadn't known the extensive history they'd had together at the time. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she turned back to the journal.

' _Kaname Madoka met the same fate. My time-reversal function no longer works. I have spent much effort theorizing a reason for this, but I haven't yet found an explanation._ '

 _It seems pointless to continue this asinine record-keeping. When I die, or become a witch, my apartment will be cleaned out, and this journal will be thrown out as the ranting of a troubled student. Why I kept it through all these years is still beyond me, but there's so much weight on my mind, I feel like it's going to drive me mad, so I'm turning to this journal as a confidante._ '

Sayaka frowned at the journal, no mention of her yet. Maybe it was vanity, but she really did want to see what Homura truly thought of her, even with all the anger and dismissiveness, maybe she still retained some sort of compassion for her new roommate. She skipped down to the first mention of her name.

' _Only Miki Sayaka and myself remain. Through some misguided sympathy for the girl, I've taken her into my apartment. Since she was publicly declared dead after her transformation into a witch, her body's return to her home, and her funeral, she is not allowed to leave the apartment._ '

A brief shudder passed through Sayaka's body at the mention of it, no real need to bring _that_ up. She didn't retain many memories from that time, but there was still a matter of the bits and pieces she could pick back up. Her slow descent into becoming a witch was by far the darkest moment that still remained in her mind. For however long she could, she'd fight to keep her soul gem clean now, just to never need to experience something like that again.

' _I'm not sure why I did this. I can only assume it's out of a misguided need to keep another fragment of Madoka close to me, or perhaps to honor her wish in this final timeline; bringing Miki back to life. Whatever the reasons, she remains as irritating as ever. Her soul gem eats up at whatever grief seeds I can salvage, and her body takes up the few resources I can afford. She is grating and complains about everything. I-_ '

Sayaka slammed the book shut as she heard a key click against the front door's lock. Her face colored red with anger, tears stinging in the corner of her eyes. She knew Homura thought all that about her, but reading it herself was something else. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to calm down; the entry was still from two years ago, maybe things were different now. Sayaka had done a lot of growing in the past three years; she had to hold onto the thought that there might be something else going on under those stony amethyst eyes.

Anger turned into panic as she realized that Homura was home, and that she was in her roommate's room reading her private information. Scrambling up, Sayaka looked for any way out of the room and, realizing the window would take too long, finally settled on the door. Running towards the locked entrance, she muttered a quick hope that the lock would somehow be fine before wrenching the knob open and hearing the snap of the lock.

"Miki!" Homura barked into the apartment, she didn't emote very often, but when she did, it was usually something negative. Frustration mixed with anger was the edge her voice was took on right now, causing Sayaka to cringe as she hurried out of the room and tried to close the door semi-discreetly behind her. "Miki!"

"What? I'm right here." Sayaka said, walking out from the hallway, to see Homura, still in her work attire, slam her bag on the counter. The motion made Sayaka almost flinch, it was unlike Homura to show anger.

"Bedroom, now." Raising an eyebrow, Sayaka looked back at her bedroom.

"Why-?"

"I said _now_." The seventeen-year old Magical Girl busied herself with taking off her outer coverings and tossing them aside indiscriminately as Sayaka tentatively walked into the bedroom.

The "arrangement" as Homura called it, while rarely occurring, had been going on for a while. Sayaka had been the one to initiate it six months ago, driven by loneliness and arousal, she'd walked in on Homura "taking care of herself" so-to-speak. Feeling bold, she'd entered and assisted, but only after Homura had insisted they'd turned off the lights. Since then, they'd only done it a few more times, with an unspoken agreement to prevent any romantic pretense.

Sayaka did it out of boredom and loneliness, Homura did it to try filling the void Madoka had left.

The lights turned off, and Sayaka heard the door close, turning around to see the whole lot of nothing. Homura never left the lights on, which was the first thing that bothered Sayaka out of a long list. Though she wouldn't say it to her face, and she'd _certainly_ never said it before, Homura was drop-dead gorgeous. Sayaka had thought so ever since she'd seen her that first day. Everyone had, she still remembered the way people swarmed around the talented raven-haired transfer student every day.

Weight settled on the bed in front of her, a bit of azul light still emanating from the sparkling soul gem on her navel. Even without seeing her face, she could feel Homura frown.

"Why are you in your uniform?" Ah, right. She'd forgotten to transform back.

"It's...breezy?" Sayaka said, almost as though asking if it was an acceptable response. None came for a while until a pair of hands reached down to tear at the fabric covering her chest. "Hey, watch it! This stuff takes magic to repair."

"Shut up." Homura said flatly, her tone making Sayaka close her mouth. The bluenette had a negative feeling in the pit of her stomach about what was unraveling, especially about Homura's mood. What had gotten into her?

A hand reached up and seized Sayaka's breast, no tenderness or hesitation in the motion. The hand squeezed while a second reached down and tugged aside Sayaka's underwear. Her voice moved for a moment, wanting to tell Homura to slow down, but her judgement got the better of her, and she decided to take it at her partner's pace.

Reaching down herself, she dipped a hand under Homura's skirt and gave the inside of her thighs a couple soft rubs. When she felt bold enough to move closer to the center, Homura did the same, fingers pressing against the entrance of Sayaka's folds and starting to slip in.

Still being dry with no pretense to the action, Sayaka again hesitated to say something, but instead proceeded. She couldn't always expect tenderness from Homura, but the few times they'd done something similar, it wasn't nearly this devoid.

Dipping a hand into Homura's panties, she tried her best to make things comfortable for her roommate, sliding her fingers along the other Magical Girl's mound and hearing her groan. The sounds made her cringe; she knew what was coming next.

"Madoka…" Homura whispered. There it was. That cocktail of anger, pity...maybe a bit of envy? Sayaka continued moving her fingers, feeling like something was desperately wrong about the whole thing as Homura continued, her eyes shut tight, giving praises to her dead lover.

Feeling Homura's fingers slow down with the sensation on her own body, Sayaka was finally able to get a bit worked up and started letting out small, breathy moans of her own before feeling her partner's fingers tense up inside of her and jerk between her folds.

"Aah! Hey!" Sayaka cried out in upset, scooting up to the head of the bed.

"Stop it." Homura's voice said from close by. Sayaka was seconds away from straight-up kicking her off, but made a final effort to remain civil, now trying to control her voice as she continued her ministrations. "Mmnn...Madoka…"

She couldn't keep it contained, Homura's fingers hit a sweet spot and Sayaka's voice came out without suppression, a groaned attempt at her partner's name. When it did, Homura seemed to snap out of her fantasy again and Sayaka felt the long, soft fingers jab quickly, almost violently inside her.

"OW! Get... _off_!" Sayaka shouted, planting a shoe on Homura's midriff and shoving her away, getting enough distance to throw her off the bed completely as Sayaka stood up and covered her chest, the impact Homura hitting the floor knocking the door open slightly.

"You are way out of FUCKING line about this, okay!?" The bluenette shouted through grit teeth. Homura's expression had changed from anger to surprise as she sat there, ass planted on the ground, and looked up. "Look, I know what you're going through, Madoka was my _best friend_ , and Kyouko…" Sayaka turned her head to the side and tensed up, raising her fist before stomping the ground in frustration.

"But you **can't** treat me like this! I'll put up with the insults, I'll put up with the quarantine, but you can't use my body like a goddamn meat puppet! It's been _three years_. Madoka is _dead_. You're not doing yourself a favor by pretending she's not. You're not helping by keeping me around like a _pet_ to try making yourself feel better!" Sayaka's eyes burned with tears as her shouting got louder and louder. Homura's face lost all traces of its former aggression, her pretty, almond-shaped eyes looking lost, and scared. But Sayaka couldn't let up, not now, her voice brittle as she tried quieting herself.

"I...I have nothing left. I have nobody. But I will leave this apartment and never come back if it means never having to spend another day alone with you, now that I know what you think of me, you heartless sociopath!" That seemed to do it for Homura. She shakily stood to her feet and, in a flash of violet light, materialized her uniform and ran out of the room, shoving past Sayaka, and bolting towards her own. Sayaka felt the bitterness only get heavier as she watched Homura slam her door and try to lock it, to no avail. Walking across the apartment, she felt a glint of satisfaction at having broken the lock.

Wrapping her fist around the knob, Sayaka opened the door with no problem, hearing a snap at the other end of the room and walking in just in time to see Homura vault out of the window, leaping onto the opposite building and scaling it quickly. Still in the moment, needing to vent the rest of her frustration, Sayaka stuck her head out of the window and continued shouting.

"Fine! Run away from your problems and leave me here as usual! Running is all you ever do!" She paused for a moment to collect her breath before letting out one final scream, "I hope you turn into a witch!" Slamming the window so hard the pane shattered, Sayaka turned and dropped onto Homura's bed. She felt some of the things she'd said prickle on her conscience already, but trying to stay civil had been grinding her gears for the past three years, a few listless insults wouldn't do anything too bad. _Not like she has the presence of mind to care_. Sayaka thought bitingly as she leaned back.

Realizing she was still half-naked, she stood and left for her room to get dressed, throwing on a spare shirt and jeans. With a bit of extra thought, she set to tugging out a suitcase Homura had provided to store all of her belongings in when she'd moved. Wanting to follow through and prove she wasn't bluffing, she began to pack, reflecting on their situation.

Sometimes, she and Homura would get along, and sometimes they'd actually have fun together. But much of their time was still wasted on arguments, and fighting, and the recent humiliating ordeals she'd put Sayaka through. Her next few minutes were spent stuffing as many articles of clothing as she could into the suitcase, as messily and angrily as she could, taking up far more room than necessary, but too overcome with emotion to care.

Turning, she looked around for her underwear before realizing it had fallen off in Homura's room. Sighing, she headed back into the other room and picked up the light blue and white striped panties, staring down at them dejectedly.

"Where am I gonna go...?" She asked herself, finally coming down from the adrenaline high she'd brought down upon herself. Slumping her shoulders, she let her head hang. "Fine mess you got yourself into." Thinking back on the things she'd said, Sayaka started to feel the second thoughts burrowing themselves in her mind.

Turning, she saw the drawer by Homura's nightstand was still opened, and the one below it was too. Reaching into the top one, she pulled out the journal again, deciding that it was too late to preserve any sense of decency anyways, and flipped to the latest entry; dated one month ago.

' _I tried to kill myself today. Things are almost unbearable without Madoka. Before she was in my life, I had no drive to do anything, no motivation at all, and nothing to look forward to. Now that she's gone again, and I've wasted three years trying to turn back and erase this damnable timeline, I know that there's nothing left for me. I couldn't go through with it, cowardly as I am._ ' A pang of sympathy rang though Sayaka's chest, but she hadn't expected anything less. About to close the journal, she saw her own name a few lines later and paused, fighting with herself before opening it back up.

' _I went home after my suicide attempt, and Miki Sayaka greeted me enthusiastically. She'd made dinner, which was cold due to my lateness, and a cake for me. She'd even cleaned up the apartment. All for my birthday. It took all of my self-restraint not to break down and throw myself into her arms._

 _She can be thick-skulled, and grating, but Miki is good-hearted, and kind. She's tolerated my mistreatment of her, and has been grateful towards me. It's a stretch to say this, but, with all the time we've spent together, I hope that someday she can become my new motivation to better myself. For now, I'll stay alive. If nothing else, because this strong-hearted girl needs my help._ '

Sayaka closed the book as the entry stopped and sat, numb, but the next few minutes. Forgiveness was still far off, but…

Pushing in the first drawer, she looked in the second, most of it littered with photos of Homura and Madoka. Alongside a few...more personal items. But what Sayaka was most interested in was a scrapbook at the top, the front holding a huge photo of herself and Homura, the latter looking stoic and bored as she stared at the camera lens, which Sayaka's hand held outstretched, a goofy grin spread across her face.

Flipping through it, she saw a number of other pictures from their years together, Homura normally looking unwilling, or not paying attention while Sayaka took up the foreground. One of her holding a finger up to her lips and winking while a sleeping Homura leaned against her shoulder, another a picture of Sayaka eating a burger they'd gotten together on one of their few days out of the house, or Homura flipping her hair after a successful kill, an enormous machine gun tucked under her arm, the photo decorated with a number of digital stickers. Most of the pages were still empty though, yet to be filled.

Turning back towards the cover, Sayaka looked it over. The black book had golden writing embroidered on it, likely custom-written, with the date of Sayaka's next birthday, and writing that read:

'To: Miki Sayaka, Happy Birthday.'

Nearly breathless, Sayaka turned the book around in her hands, half-expecting it to be an illusion. She almost refused to believe Homura was capable of basic compassion, much less something like this. Closing the book, she placed it on the bed and heaved a careful sigh, looking out at the city.

"I need to find her."

Standing, she expended the bit of magic needed to mend her uniform before donning it and opening the window back up gingerly, watching a few shards of shattered glass tumble out towards the pavement below.

Hopping out onto the windowsill, Sayaka slipped off onto a rune, the pallid late-summer breeze helping to clear her head, carrying just a hint of coolness with it. The magical girl hopped with little effort onto the next building and tugged out her soul gem, running a scan of her surroundings. She caught Homura's signature, not too far away. Allowing herself a small moment of relief, she started towards it, dashing along rooftops.

x-x-x-x-x

It took upwards of ten minutes, but she finally came to a building overlooking a small, dark intersection of alleyways. Homura knely in the center, trembling, her face buried in her hands. Sayaka felt the instant need to look away, just to preserve some of her roommate's dignity, but she fought it. She'd never seen Homura cry before.

Stepping off the roof, she tried to make her fall as silent as she could, her shoes clicking quietly against the ground upon her landing. Hand outstretched, she approached Homura from behind and, lips held tightly together in nervousness, touched it to her shoulder.

"Hey...Homura?" Her roommate only seemed to cry harder at her presence, shoulders shaking as she struggled to breathe through the tears.

"Go-go away! Please!" Homura managed to get out, holding a hand out to try shoving Sayaka off weakly, getting to her feet and moving away. "I didn't mean to, I swear! I didn't want to hurt you, I just…" Unable to keep standing, Homura leaned against the nearest wall and slumped to the bottom of it.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's all right." Sayaka joined her on the streetside, unsure what to do. Madoka cried a lot, but never like _this_. Never full-on repressed emotions sobbing. Torn between asking her to calm down or telling her to let it all out, she decided on the latter. "We can talk it over, just let me know when you're ready."

Even though the last act of tenderness had earned her a punch in the gut, Sayaka reached around cautiously to wrap her arm around Homura's shoulder, pulling her in a little closer. To her surprise, the other student responded positively, nestling her head against Sayaka's arm and crying into it liberally.

They sat this way for about a minute before Homura finally stopped, her breathing starting to calm down, Sayaka still tried averting her eyes, but saw from the occasional peek that her roommate was staring into the distance, gravely distressed, for all the world looking like a kitten being scolded for doing something wrong. Something she had never thought she'd be saying about Homura.

"I lost my job today." Homura said, her voice cracking occasionally from weight of emotion. "I got yelled at for being late again, and staring off into space. I hated that job so much, but it was hard enough to find on its own...without it, I can't support you. I can't even support myself." She stared into the crook of Sayaka's neck, sniffling sadly.

"So, you took your frustration out on me?" Sayaka asked, earning a nod and a trembling that made it seem like Homura was about to start crying again. "No no no! Hold on! If you lose any more water, you'll probably dehydrate and die, just try to calm down. Deep breaths, okay?" Reaching up, she started tentatively petting Homura's head. "All right, I forgive you. As for your job, we'll figure it out. We have some emergency cash for this sort of thing, your rampant paranoia made sure of that."

Homura made a noise of assent and they spent the next few minutes sitting together in the alley, the streets around them noisy with people as Sayaka shushed Homura, trying to reduce the tension

"...I missed her a lot today. I couldn't stop thinking about her." Homura said quietly, no longer crying, but too dispirited to wipe the trails from her eyes and nose. Sayaka relaxed next to her, stretching her legs out and crossing them.

"Yeah…I get that. Happens to me sometimes too." They sat together in the alley for a few more minutes before Sayaka had the presence of mind to reach down and wrap her hand around Homura's, looking down at the clouded blackish-purple of her soul gem. "Ah. That explains it too. Let's go home and get you a grief seed, okay?" Homura sniffled again, wiping her face on her sleeve before nodding.

"I just got one." She pulled a fresh grief seed from a pocket, looking down at it slightly distastefully.

"Come on, just use it." Sayaka prompted. She knew what it was like; when a soul gem got polluted enough, its owner had a tendency to get irrational and violent. Sayaka herself remembered not wanting to use grief seeds around the time of her decline and...well...Madoka's wish made it quite clear how that turned out. To her relief, Homura brought it over to her soul gem and absorbed the black despair from the violet diamond, instantly looking like a weight was lifted from her shoulders, but still seeming forlorn.

"Let's go home, all right? We can figure this whole job thing out later. There's nothing we can do about it right now anyways...I'll make dinner tonight, okay?" Homura nodded, still looking ashamed. Sayaka was surprised at how much someone so tough could end up looking so vulnerable at the same time. She reached out a hand, which Homura took, pulling her up and walking her back to their shared apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. Hello everyone! Sorry for the **brief** pause in development. You'll be happy to know that I don't intend to drop this fic anytime soon since I'm so in love with the story arc I have planned.

This chapter has much lighter content than the last, so those who chose not to read ch.2 can get right back on track. Enjoy!~

Chapter 3

Sayaka's mental gears churned as she made dinner for them both, glad for the chance to distract herself and think. Her personality was best suited to taking situations as they came, but Sayaka found she just wasn't sure how to react to this. While the rice steamed, she leaned back against the counter and let out a long breath, trying to sort through her thoughts and emotions.

Her feelings towards Homura were complicated. What she'd read in that journal...it had been three years, things had changed.

She looked over at the steam rising up slowly, reaching up to tug on her bangs. For that fact, a lot had changed. At first they couldn't even be in the same room together without getting into an awful fight. Now she understood Homura, and felt as though Homura understood her.

Well, she ALMOST understood Homura. It would seem that given today's events that Sayaka didn't know her quite as well as she thought she did. She'd seen a side of Homura she knew the other girl kept only to herself, one she'd tried to stomp out years ago. One Sayaka had an urge to know better.

Walking over to the curry simmering on the stovetop, Sayaka stirred it slowly. It wasn't anything new for her to have confusing thoughts and feelings for her roommate. Over the months, she'd built a sort of affection for Homura...which might have been partly physical attraction, but try as she might deny it there was something else there.

Maybe it was just a sort of Stockholm Syndrome from being trapped with her for so long. Though that theory went out the window when Sayaka realized she could technically leave whenever she wanted, Homura was just gracious enough to take her in. Was it maybe pity over learning about her plight and loneliness?

Sayaka pursed her lips. She hoped it was something a bit more romantic than that. A sense of friendship or duty perhaps. After all, Homura didn't need to take her in, at the very least not for this long. Maybe it wasn't out of pure selflessness, but it stood to reason that Sayaka held a soft spot for wanting to help her out of gratitude.

Pausing for a moment to sit down, she stopped to think about Homura for a moment. At first, that stoic attitude and melancholy aura annoyed the hell out of Sayaka. But as she matured and got more accustomed to it, that attitude held...a certain charm to it. Especially when Sayaka had learned over time to see Homura's guard drop, or find the subtle shifts in her demeanor. When Sayaka told a joke, Homura never laughed, her mouth twitched. When Homura was grateful, she was formal and controlled about it, but always stayed a little too quiet in reflection. Sayaka took a few moments to herself and fantasized on what Homura's reaction would be if she were to hold the stone-cold Puella Magi's hand, or give her a hug.

The ding of the rice cooker roused Sayaka from her stupor, hurrying over, she turned it off, giving it a moment to sit. Staring down into the steam as her thought continued to turn.

There were certainly similarities between the two girls. The unwavering stubbornness was the obvious one, but underneath they had the same fighting spirit. Both of them had made wishes for people they'd cared for...and ultimately had no chance of ever being with. Homura wasn't outwardly playful, but Sayaka could tell her sense of fun hadn't been completely beaten out of her-the occasional teasing or playing around was met with reciprocation on a good day.

Taking another moment to peek into a future, Sayaka considered the possibility of them _together_. Going on dates with Homura, sleeping in the same bed as Homura, perhaps doting on her a bit and being doted on in turn...it was appealing. Almost in a mysterious sense, maybe she would get to see those small peeks under the mask her roommate constantly wore, maybe those parts would come out during their intimacy...it certainly hadn't during their little "sessions", of which there had been very few, all of them uncomfortable and stiff.

Yes, Sayaka decided as she automatically went about setting the table, she did want to date Homura. After all, she wouldn't hesitate to call them good friends already, and it was obvious-perhaps painfully so-that they were both starved for affection.

That left the question. Would Homura reciprocate her feelings? She paused and looked down at the table, already knowing the answer. Homura cared for her, but only to a certain extent. Sayaka would sometimes joke that to Homura she wasn't "Sayaka", she was just "another one of the Sayakas". The joke held some truth to it.

Not to mention her total and unequivocal obsession with Madoka. Sayaka still had that ache in her heart whenever she thought of Kyouko, but in comparison to Homura's pining it paled.

But, at the same time, Homura had changed a lot. That gift in her room? She wouldn't have done that for anyone else, and had never done it for Sayaka in the past. Maybe she would at least consider…

Shaking her head to try and focus back in, she walked over to Homura's door, Sayaka paused before knocking quietly. "Hey, food's ready." Homura emerged, looking more composed, the slight slump in her composure still suggesting sullenness, and along with the way she refused to meet Sayaka's eyes, but she kept her head held jauntily high.

Both parties headed over to the table and sat down, Sayaka thinking hard about how to encroach on the topic. A silence fell between the two as they ate, Sayaka glancing up every few seconds, racking her brains for an opener before Homura finally spoke up.

"Thank you for making dinner."

"Yeah, well, don't worry about it." Sayaka answered, relieved that Homura had taken the initiative. "It's the least I can do for the team. It's been a crazy night." Homura didn't answer, tracing her fork along her plate. Several minutes passed before Homura spoke up again, looking out the window.

"I'll start applying for jobs tomorrow. It's difficult to find anything with my lack of qualifications. It's possible I should get something in retail in the meantime, just to be earning something." Immediately, Sayaka let out a snort of laughter, making Homura turn back around, eyebrows knit. "I hardly think this is something worth mockery." Sayaka waved her off, a grin still on her face.

"No, no, it's just...I can't imagine you as a cashier. I pity the manager who tries to get you to smile." Homura's mouth quirked up the slightest bit before the moment was gone, and she turned away, flipping her hair and busying herself with eating.

"Perhaps it's not my calling, no. I don't see you making suggestions though. Do you think you could get a job if we tried that disguise idea of yours?"

"Totally! Worth a try at least. I can finally pay you back for putting up with my lazy butt for so long." That actually got a short huff of laughter from Homura. Sayaka took a few breaths, steeling her courage. "Actually," She began, in as casual a voice as she could muster, "How about I take you out to dinner sometime? As thanks for letting me live here? I mean, I'm sure you're tired of eating our cooking by now." She laughed at her own joke, hoping to prompt a response, wincing internally at how un-casual it came out.

"I'm not using our savings for that." Homura responded evenly, "Especially not now."

"My treat!" Sayaka replied quickly, "I have some saved over...for a rainy day." Homura still looked weary about it, so Sayaka backed down in compromise. "Okay! Coffee. Let me take you to coffee." She saw Homura's jaw work thoughtfully, she had struck a positive cord. The only thing Homura hated more than Sayaka's chatterboxing was the unproductive lull of sleep. That would made a coffee addict out of anyone.

"Fine. But only if you're paying." She said, crossing her legs. The tension between them seemed to have evaporated, leaving a cozier haze in its wake. "Is Wednesday good?"

"Wednesday is good." Sayaka agreed happily, feeling the knot in her stomach unclench, proudly standing up from the table and going to wash her plate. "I've gotta go practice that hair spell." She said, smiling at herself as she hurried to her room.

"Get some sleep, it's late." Homura said, continuing to eat at her own pace as Sayaka shut her door, doing a private fist pump as she danced around on the balls of her feet.

"You did it Sayaka! You asked someone out on your first date!" She whisper-shouted to herself, her body tensed happily before she stopped. "Wait...does she know it's a date?" Replaying the interaction in her head, she tried to see if the romantic intent was obvious. It wasn't. "Oh boy. That means you're gonna have to get your intention across DURING dinner." Sayaka sighed before realizing another error she made,"Wait, not dinner...coffee!? Why'd you say coffee! You hate coffee!" Sayaka whined quietly, coming down from her high. Realizing the disaster potential her ploy had, she threw herself on the bed and buried her face in a pillow as the last inconvenience came to her. "I don't even have anything cute to wear!"

x-x-x-x-x-x

The week passed faster than anticipated, Sayaka spent the next few days applying wherever she could under the surname "Mizuki" (A not-so-clever meld of the characters from her and Hitomi's last names). Job-hunting was tiring work though, and both she and Homura would often meet back home, dejected, after their respective interviews went poorly. The more this happened, the more solidified Sayaka felt in her belief that they should be together, she found herself wanting to stroke Homura's hair comfortingly when she saw the other girl's poorly-hidden disappointment, and found the cold emptiness of her bed only became that much more noticeable now that the lure of a warm body to hold was already ingrained in her mind.

Sayaka spent the little free time she had not studying or attending job interviews trying to assemble a casual outfit that wasn't the baggy hoodie and sweatpants she usually wore when they went out. Homura needed the suit she'd used at her old job for interviews, so Sayaka went to hers in a button-up blouse she'd bought with a small stipend Homura had given her.

Aside from that though, she had the scruffy, now several-years old hoodie she wore whenever she went out with Homura to hide her identity, her old middle school uniform, and a number of graphic tees and jeans leant to her by Homura. Looking over the sad display, Sayaka wished now more than ever that she'd broken into her old house to salvage some of her clothes while her parents were out.

 _Oh well,_ She thought, sighing as she bundled up a shirt with some old grunge band on it and tossed it to the side. _They wouldn't fit me anymore anyways._ She considered asking Homura, but assumed that asking your date for clothes to wear to look good for them was probably poor form. She eventually managed to find one skirt she'd bought about a year ago that seemed half-decent and paired it with a purple t-shirt with some old, faded brand on it, wearing her sky-blue hoodie over it.

Before she knew it, the day of their psuedo-date had come. They ended up not being able to leave until around noon, with Homura arranging follow-up interviews and taking a customary hour-long shower beforehand, but eventually Sakaya managed to coerce her out.

The coffee house they visited wasn't anything fancy, it ended up just being one of the more common chains around Mitakihara. This was partly due to the fact that Homura would complain about anywhere more expensive, partly because Sayaka didn't know of anywhere else due to never drinking coffee. She let Homura take the front of the line, not knowing what she was going to order. The young barista turned as Homura quickly decided on her order.

"Three shots of espresso please." The barista turned to Sayaka, who suddenly felt very on the spot, looking from him to the menu, then back again, dumbstruck.

"I'll-uhh-have what she's having?"

"No she won't," Homura said to the barista, whose finger hesitated over the computer, "Pick something a bit sweeter." She continued to Sayaka. Taken aback, Sayaka, almost by reflex, crossed her arms stubbornly and pushed back.

"Yes I will."

"I know you, you won't like it."

"Who's paying again?" Homura scoffed and rolled her eyes, but turned away as Sayaka, proud of her victory, leaned forward smugly on the counter. "One of those three-bullet expressie thingies, please."

Sayaka paid and watched Homura, who grabbed her coffee and added one packet of brown sugar, Sayaka imitated her to the letter, making Homura roll her eyes as she turned around and found a seat, smoothing out her skirt before sitting down as Sayaka took the booth across from her.

Homura took a sip of her drink, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the stresses of the past month melting away as she took the smallest ounce of time to herself, not to think or to worry, but just to enjoy the thoughtless warmth of the drink seeping into her hands and the way the bitterness tingled on her tongue.

Of course, her meditation didn't last long, interrupted by a sputter across from her.

"Bleugh!" Sayaka complained, grabbing a napkin and wiping off her tongue. "Gross! Ew! Why didn't they add milk!?"

"Black coffee, Miki. That's what makes it black." Homura said flatly, her look telling Sayaka that the "I told you so" didn't even need to be said. "There's milk back at the counter." Homura said, taking another sip of her drink as Sayaka sighed, pushing her own away.

Despite her thoughts being interrupted, Homura smiled a bit around the rim of her cup. If she had been asked a couple years ago whether she thought she'd ever enjoy spending even a second more than necessary with Miki Sayaka, she would have found the idea repulsive.

"So…" Sayaka started, Homura watched her patiently as she tried to form a cohesive thought. "What do you do? Like...for fun?"

"We live together, Sayaka." Homura pointed out, drawing a frown from Sayaka.

"I know that! But, look, aside from stalking and work, there's gotta be something you do to entertain yourself." At this point, Homura quieted down, the only sound between them being the hustle and bustle of everyone around them. It continued like this for several minutes as Homura dove deeper and deeper in thought, Sayaka's eyebrows knitting in concern.

"Oh my god, you're kidding me-"

"Nothing's coming up right now!" Homura said defensively, "I have hobbies!"

"You know, I wish that surprised me, but somehow it doesn't." Sayaka, sensing an opportunity, took the offensive, leaning on her hand. "I guess taking care of that hair's a full-time job, huh? It shows." Homura, a bit taken aback, reached up to twist a lock of glossy black hair between her fingers, her nose wrinkling.

"You think so?"

"Yeah! I wish mine was as nice as yours…" Sayaka lamented, reaching forward as Homura pulled her head back in turn, her eyes looking from the offending hand to Sayaka's face.

"You're being weird." She said, clearing her throat in discomfort. Sayaka sat up straight, lacing her hands under her chin, resolving to try again as she hit Homura with the best flirtatious smile she had on-hand.

"Sorry, you're just so distracting, you make it hard for me to control myself." Homura, as though catching wind of what was happening raised an eyebrow and the edge of her mouth quirked up in amusement.

"Is that a line?"

"Yes it is." Sayaka admitted proudly, sitting back. "I saw it on a sitcom." Homura snorted "But I do mean it! When you're not being all prickly and grumpy, you're very pretty. Pretty enough to stare at." Homura took the compliment in stride, her gaze becoming playfully suspicious as she looked around the coffeeshop.

"Miki, is this a date?"

"Uhhh...I dunno. Maybe?" Sayaka replied, caught red-handed.

"Well, what are your intentions?

"Toooooooo seduce you? With a bribe of caffeine?"

"Uh-huh." Homura took another swig of coffee, looking more aloof than Sayaka was expecting.

"Have you ever been on a date?" Sayaka settled on asking.

"Yes, of course I have."

"No you haven't!" Sayaka said, rolling her eyes, "Madoka barely even knew you existed!"

"THIS Madoka didn't." Homura answered, irked. "And if you were trying to flirt, you're doing a very bad job bringing her up."

"Okay, but let's say I _was_ flirting. Is it kinda working?" Homura did the thing Sayaka both loved and hated where she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, smiling with her eyes instead of her mouth.

"I won't say it isn't." Grinning, Sayaka leaned forward.

"Weeeell…would you wanna keep the momentum up then?" Homura cocked her head slightly in intrigue as Sayaka stood, offering the other girl her hand, which Homura looked at skeptically before brushing off. Standing up with her coffee in tow, she grabbed Sayaka's for later.

As they both walked along the street, Sayaka quickly realized she had no plan, leading Homura more or less by her nose through the streets until they came to a small plaza with colored lights spouting water. Several children were running around the square, playing and splashing in the jets as Sayaka lead Homrua to a bench and sat down.

"There, see? We can talk here!"

"Mmm-hmm, tempting. Because you were of course showing me how much of an expert conversationalist you were before."

"Well, give me a chance, okay?" Sayaka paused, stopping to think as she looked up at the sky. "Have you ever wanted to go back to school?" Her silence was then shifted to Homura.

"I'm not sure." She ended up settling on, "My life has been plagued with more pressing goals for as long as I can remember now. First it was defeating Walpurgisnacht, then I had to get a job out of necessity to support our lifestyle, so I can't say. Before meeting Madoka though, I remember hating school, so probably not. What about you?" Sayaka watched the jets of water shoot around, slapping wetly against concrete with a satisfying splash, followed by the pleased shriek of playing children.

"Yeah. I mean, I wasn't good at it. But I do miss seeing Hitomi and Kyosuke every day. Plus I never put too much thought into what I wanted to do, maybe something involving music...so I'd want another chance to get a degree."

"Hmm. Not that it matters too much, we sacrificed our futures the moment we made our wishes."

"Yeah."

The mood dampened slightly as they watched a young boy splash his sister by angling his hand over a water spout.

"I guess I see what you mean, but still, it's nice to talk about, isn't it? After all, if we lose sight of who we were and who we could be then what's even the point of going on?" Homura nodded slowly.

"I...hadn't thought of it like that."

"That doesn't surprise me, living for someone else doesn't exactly give you much room to think for yourself, huh?"

"Maybe not, no." Homura agreed distantly before turning to Sayaka, "So, music, hm? Even I know that's a passion of yours by now at least. Classical, I'm guessing?"

"Yep."

"Composition?"

"Maybe. Or something along those lines. I mean, nothing else ever really spoke to me so I'm kinda going with what I know."

"I can understand that." Homura replied, finishing her coffee and walking over to discard it in a nearby trash can, "Now that I think about it more and more, I'm sure I could do well in any job I take, but I'm not sure I would find anything life-changing. It's very likely I'll be stuck doing corporate work for a while." Sayaka saw Homura looking forward impassively, her finger sliding around the rim of the second coffee cup.

"I don't think that's a bad thing. Gotta have money, right? That just means you've gotta look for fulfillment somewhere else...besides, you can find other ways to like your job, maybe make some friends. Not that that really comes naturally to you."

"It doesn't." Homura answered sharply. "But it's a learned skill, or so I've heard."

"I think we're friends." Sayaka said, looking over at Homura, who stared right back.

"It took three years for us to get here." Homura replied, sniffing and grinning as another playful cry sounded off from the playing children.

"It did." Sayaka admitted, glad Homura hadn't denied it, "But I mean, I started off hating you, and we managed three years without killing one-another. Sure took a lot of compromise on both our parts, but I really think we've gotten somewhere." Sayaka leaned forward, her silhouette framed against the colorful water trickling in the sun, which had just started to turn an orange-yellow hue. "And I'd like to go further, get to know you better." Sayaka met Homura's eyes, and reached forward to gently touch her knee, keeping it there when Homura didn't pull away.

"That might not be possible." Homura replied impassively, not breaking her gaze, "I grew used to not sharing personal information back then. It seemed useless since everyone would just forget it once I reset time-"

"You spend too much time living in the past, Homura." Sayaka said, pouting and pressing their shoulders together. "You're here right now. I'll remember anything you're willing to tell me, and I'll expect you to do the same. Try to enjoy yourself." Leaning her head against Homura's arm, she watched the leaping of the water as her roommate did the same, the constant trickling of the fountain creating a soothing hum in the air.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes, enjoying the warm ambience. Wanting to test her luck, Sayaka began rubbing her thumb on Homura's knee in small circles, feeling Homura stir slightly at the contact but making no move to remove the offending hand. Eventually, a small breeze began drifting through the park, and once the colored water spouts grew monotonous, Sayaka stood up, gesturing for Homura to follow.

"C'mon, while we're in town, might as well do some window-shopping." She expected Homura to refuse, but instead got a resigned sigh.

"As long as there's no actual shopping involved. I still need to draw up a proper budget." Leaving the park, they walked side by side further into the city. The pair passed several storefronts, none of them garnering much interest. Sayaka's hand felt bare without the skin-to-skin contact she'd been enjoying, and as they walked, her eyes drifted down to Homura's hand. She tried to suppress the urge to reach out and grab it, knowing she'd get scolded. As she turned away to bring her thoughts elsewhere, she saw a store that looked promising and pointed.

"There! Let's go!" Homura turned around before following her gaze and cocking her head.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really! It's a date!" Sayaka said, proud of her romantic eye as she lead the way into the florist's shop. The cool, misted air clung to their skin as they started to walk around the store. Despite never having had much of an eye for flowers, Sayaka took in the intricately-arranged displays positioned around the spotless store with a bit more of a mission in mind.

As they walked past several displays, Sayaka didn't feel any calling strongly to her in particular. She thought the peonies looked a little bit like Madoka's dress did when she'd made a contract, but wasn't about to point that out to current company. Seeing the marigolds, Sayaka toyed with the idea of buying some to put on Kyouko's grave over in Kazamino, but settled on doing it later. She instead set about a current mission of trying to identify flowers Homura might like. She tried looking at Homura to get an indication of what she was considering and found her staring at an arrangement of small, puckered blooms.

"What're those?" Sayaka asked, walking over.

"Oh, these? They're Myosotis!" A passing florist said as she lifted bags of fertilizer into a nearby case. "Also called 'forget-me-nots.' We mostly use them as embellishments for other bouquets."

Sayaka sniggered when the florist left as she looked down at the tiny pink and blue flowers.

"Kinda tiny, aren't they?" _Almost like they might fall apart at any second_ , she thought to herself.

"I suppose." Homura said, her gaze not leaving them a she reached out to cradle a tiny bud beneath her fingertips, Sayaka watched the deliberacy of the action and immediately felt guilty for making fun of them, picking up a small bouquet from the stand as Homura watched her in surprise, following her to the counter. "What are you-"

"Hi there!" Sayaka said to the cashier. "Just these please."

"619 yen." The cashier said as Sayaka pulled out her wallet, letting out an internal sigh of relief when she saw she had only just enough money left, pushing 7 coins onto the counter.

"Sayaka…" Homura said, looking a little put-off by her generosity. Sayaka only turned and gave an affirming smile in return as the cashier passed her a receipt. Thanking him and turning away, Sayaka pressed the bouquet into Homura's hands, earning a bashful look in return as Homura adjusted her grip on them nervously. "...thank you."

As they turned to leave the flower shop, Sayaka decided that the mood was good enough to try again, and reached down as casually as she could, slipping her fingers against Homura's and gently grasping her hand, Homura accepting the contact with a small adjusting squeeze, the bell above the shop's door ringing them out.

Homura seemed distant as they walked through another plaza, crossing her arms over the bouquet as she looked out over the city, the many glass facades reflecting the orange afternoon light as she sighed abruptly, releasing her companion's hand.

"I appreciate you taking me out, Sayaka, but this is silly. It was a welcome distraction, but you and I barely get along as it is, there's no room for those kinds of feelings." Sayaka prickled at her words, after all this she was going to play the denial game?

"That's not exactly what was implied when you walked in on me that first night." Sayaka had plucked a nerve and Homura turned towards her, looking miffed.

"I thought that business was behind us."

"And it is." Sayaka assured her, holding up a hand, "But it happened all the same. I think we need to explore the potential that there might be something here."

"There. Is. Not." Homura said flatly, turning on heel.

"Then kiss me." Sayaka murmured, causing a death glance to be shot at her overshoulder.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! You've never done it to me before. At least not in this timeline."

"In ANY timeline." Homura said, her voice icy.

"Then try it! Come on." Sayaka challenged, walking forward until she was standing directly in front of Homura, their bodies almost touching, close enough to feel Homura's breath, to see the nervous shifting of her body, which Sayaka felt reflected on hers. As close as they were, Sayaka didn't know where to look, her gaze drawn between the irises of swimming purple or the soft pink lips she felt would draw closer any second. Homura's pupils twitched as she stared into Sayaka's determined eyes, showing a hint of fear before she remembered her composure and relaxed, grinning and letting out a short breath of laughter, shaking her head as she turned away and took a step towards their apartment.

"Let's go home." Sayaka reached out, grabbing Homura's sleeve and spinning her around, using every fiber of her courage she had to pull Homura closer and lock their lips together. It was brief, but passionate, with Homura too surprised to lean into it, but too invested to pull away, screwing her eyes shut, hugging the bouquet, which blocked the short scene from any passers-by, closely to her chest.

Homura's eyelids fluttered open as Sayaka pulled back, her breathing uneven as she reached up to touch her lips. Sayaka felt it too, the exciting shudder of energy passing through her, the nearly-irresistible temptation to lean right back in for another.

"I-I think that..." Homura looked around uncomfortably, her cheeks pink as she fumbled for words, "Perhaps…" She cleared her throat, "We could maybe give this a try."

"That's all I'm asking." Sayaka responded, moving closer to peck Homura's cheek again. Taking her companion's hand once more, they started their walk home, both enjoying the new warmth clasped to their palms.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A loud crack echoed through the air as a blue-robed magical girl flew across the barrier, smashing into a marble pillar, which crumbled under her weight into grey puzzle pieces, spilling atop her.

"Be more careful." Homura said nonchalantly, knowing the hit wouldn't keep her partner down for long as she pulled a sleek SMG from her shield and flicked off the safety, bracing it against her shoulder. The witch-a misshapen humanoid figure, glued and cobbled together from separate body parts, twitched and shuddered, jerking out of the way as a volley of bullets lodged themselves in the coffin it stood behind. Its hand jerked up to grab a cleaver buried in the coffin's lid, jerking it loose from the wood and stepping forward.

"Sheesh, just because YOU can't take a hit." Sayaka murmured, recovering and picking her sword up. Bolting forward, she sent a flurry of cuts at the witch, which raised an enormous blocky arm, blocking every single one with ease before launching a counterattack, grabbing her hair with its enormous, gorilla-like right arm and slamming her against the ground. Sayaka struggled against her opponent, but the witch's fingers locked into the soil beneath them and refused to give, grinding her further into the dirt.

The witch's lanky left arm raised its cleaver, as if in excitement, paste began dribbling from its empty sockets onto the ground beside Sayaka. Just as the weapon-bearing arm began swinging down-a rocket drilled into the witch's chest, blasting it backwards in a sudden burst of sudden heat and light, gore raining down in the form of puzzle pieces.

Sayaka stood up, brushing glue-covered cardboard shards from her hair as what remained of the witch crawled forward. Sayaka walked past it, spinning her blade once as she moved to hack its crooked head in two. She watched the rest of its body spill into pieces as the barrier faded around them, leaving a small grief seed in its place.

"You're fighting recklessly." Homura said stiffly as she tucked the rocket launcher back into her shield.

"So? I just put my heart into it. That was an easy one anyways."

"It doesn't matter. Whatever you're up against, the second you underestimate that opponent and make yourself open the way you did today, you won't last a minute. Weaker girls than you have learned that lesson the fatal way." Sayaka's fist clenched around her sword in irritation as she swiped the ground, sending the grief seed spinning straight up before she snatched it out of the air. She hated Homura's lectures-being talked down to was humiliating, even if she was usually right.

They walked back home, Homura taking the lead as Sayaka trailed behind, magical uniforms vanishing as they stuck to back streets, not wanting to risk Sayaka being recognized. A hostile fog ran between them as they stayed perfectly quiet.

The days that passed since their date were uncomfortable-this new ground was untrodden for both of them. Sayaka tried her best to find ways to up the romance or flirtation a little bit, but Homura seemed either unreceptive to the idea or brushed it off. It was to be expected, especially since Homura had nailed a job interview and was busy with training, but Sakaya was disappointed that things had more or less gone back to routine.

"I'm sorry." Sayaka, jolted from her thoughts, needing to look around just to make sure someone else hadn't spoken before she turned to Homura, who continued. "It's not my place to scold you. You've made it longer than I've ever expected you to without my help. I just get worried." Sayaka slowed down for a moment, blinking away her surprise. Homura voluntarily apologizing and showing a vulnerability was so rare Sayaka almost wished she could bottle up the moment.

"It's-it's all right!" Sayaka said, catching up to Homura, who had an odd expression on her face, as though being honest was giving her a stomachache. "I know how you feel...I get scared for you too."

"Well you can understand it's a bit more difficult for me since you're in the thick of things. Please try to be a bit safer?" Homura asked, managing to turn and face Sayaka, who was already nodding her head.

"I will." The tension between them dissipating, Sayaka headed forward to walk alongside Homura, who, without turning, her head still tilted downward, extended her hand very slightly. Sayaka grinned and reached forward, grasping her roommate's hand, feeling a leap of joy in her heart. Maybe things WERE changing after all, little by little. "Hey," Homura turned to see Sayaka beam and wiggle her eyebrows. "Wanna get in trouble?"

x-x-x-x-x

"This is lunacy." Homura whispered, tugging the skirt of her magical girl uniform as they stood beside a glass-panelled dome on the building's roof. "What if there's an alarm? Or guards?"

"Relax." Sayaka said, rolling her eyes as she centered the drill on a screwhead. "What are they expecting, someone's gonna steal the water?" Homura frowned in return, any sense of fun or flirtiness she held before had long evaporated.

"I don't approve of this."

"Says the girl who steals guns monthly." Sayaka muttered, revving up the drill and removing a long screw from one of the window panels. Homura who had apparently heard the quip, turned on heel and moodily looked out over the city. Sayaka sighed. "Look, I know you. If you were really against it you wouldn't have come. We're not hurting anyone or anything-promise." Homura scraped her boot against the roof's gravel and gritted her teeth.

"Just hurry up." Sayaka, taking that as a confirmation, drilled out the last screw, stowing them in her pocket before pulling up the panel by an edge and dislocating it just enough for her to slip through.

"Come on, we've got only an hour before they shut off all the lights." Sayaka said, beckoning before dropping down into the building below. Homura looked around the roof nervously before following suit. Beneath the sunroof was a 60-foot drop-impossible for a human, but for Puella Magi it was a small feat to slow their fall, Homura's boots clicking against the tile floor as she looked around for Sayaka before finding her, sitting back in front of an enormous display. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Homura looked up at thee enormous glass surface before them. Behind it sat an enormous ecosystem-schools of fish swirled gently in the deep blue water, anemone slowly danced with the soft current, and eels snaked through the marine grass. Both girls stared, entranced with the scene, which looked all the more majestic with the glow of the tank's light contrasted with the total darkness of the rest of the aquarium, other displays around the enormous hall moving in a similar.

Turning to her partner, Sayaka patted the ground beside her. Homura hesitated for a moment before settling down as well, reclining in the same way. No words passed between them for a long time, both content to watch the fish eat falling detritus or duck between rock crevasses.

"I've found my favorite." Sayaka said abruptly, Homura, summoned from her own stupor, followed her finger. "That one, look at the way it moves." The fish she pointed out had a long shimmering silver tail, which it used to carve sharp turns in its swimming pattern. "Find yours yet?"

"Not yet." Homura said as she glanced back up at the tank before remembering where she was and throwing a look over her shoulder.

"Don't have a cow, no one comes back here. I've done this before." Sayaka said, not needing to avert her eyes to know that Homura was double-checking both corridors.

"You have?" Homura asked, her eyebrows knit. "When?"

"With Kyouko. Back in the day." Sayaka said, the wistful gaze she had aimed at the fish taking on a new meaning.

"I understand." Homura said, seemingly dropping the topic, but after a bit of thought, continuing it. "Was it your idea or hers?"

"A bit of both really." Sayaka answered, a breath of laughter escaping her. "I said I wanted to go here, but it was too crowded since it was summertime, and she had the idea of breaking in after hours."

"That does sound like her." Homura agreed, the silence continued for a stretch longer. "How long had you known Sakura for?"

"Awhile. Maybe half a year. Didn't know she was a Puella Magi until about a month before you transferred in. She came to our school after she got over some old bad blood with Mami, they started living together. " Turning to Homura, she raised an eyebrow, "Why, does that change depending on the time loop?"

"Sometimes." Homura said, shrugging. The mood, while calming, took on a slightly sorrowful tone as they both began thinking of their respective first loves. Sayaka interrupted by standing up and stretching, shrugging her cape behind her shoulders.

"That's enough of that. Come on, we've both done enough mourning. I wanna be happy for once." Reaching down, she offered her hand to Homura, who took it curiously.

"Are we leaving already?"

"Of course not! We're just getting to the good part." Pulling Homura to her feet, Sayaka led her over around a narrow opening behind the tank, which opened into a larger alcove with a ladder leading up with a single light illuminating the way up. Stepping up onto the ladder, Sayaka looked down at Homura. "Coming?"

"No way in hell...are you seriously considering…?"

"Sure am. Hurry up!" Sayaka kept climbing up, Homura's murmured protests falling on deaf ears before she too took hold of the ladder and mounted the side of the tank. Once she reached the top, Homura saw Sayaka put her hand to the lock on the latch, her hand glowing with magic. The lock snapped open and she unhooked it, placing it to the side before pulling the latch open-the shivering blue light of the water below dancing on her face as she waved Homura over.

"You're joking, aren't you?" Homura asked with a sidelong suspicious look, her feet carrying her over despite herself. "This is ridiculous, let's just go home."

"And pass up getting your shirt wet? Not a chance!" Reaching down, Homura gave Sayaka's head a quick smack before looking down at the bustle of undersea life beneath them and sighing, transforming into her uniform to keep her streetclothes dry as she lowered herself onto the rim of the entrance.

"You first." She said as Sayaka laughed and stood up, patting the back of Homura's head.

"Chicken. Watch _this_." Stepping back a bit, Sayaka bounced a foot in the air, a rune appearing beneath her, spinning up, the aquamarine glow of magic mixing with the water's shine. Thrown up into the air, Sayaka gracefully somersaulted before bringing her hands forward to dive into the hole, splashing Homura and causing a stir among the fish as she circled around to peek her head above the surface, grinning and shivering, her words stuttered. "C-come on in! The water's...cold actually. Not that nice." Homura's lips trembled as she tried not to smile, rolling her eyes and grabbing the edge to prepare herself, exhaling before she slipped into the water.

Homura felt the cold water surround and swallow her, instinctively wanting to resurface to the warmer air of the aquarium before she opened her eye and forgot all about getting back out. Fish swam around the large rock pillars around the tank, scurrying at the sudden appearance in their habitat before they started to slow down once they realized their new neighbors weren't dangerous. The water was perfectly clear and well-lit, letting Homura see every detail perfectly, the handsome corals formations on the rocks, the catfish lumbering across the bottom of the tank-feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned around to see Sayaka grinning at her, gesturing for her to come up.

Both of them came up, Homura instantly feeling antsy to go back down and get another look, and it seemed like Sayaka felt much the same way. Reaching down, Homura gripped Sayaka's hand and nodded, they understood the gleam of excitement in one-another's eyes and, taking deep breaths, sunk back below the surface.

Swimming together, they took their time, circling slowly through the tank, coming up whenever one of them (usually Homura) ran out of breath. Homura looked out the glass surface, feeling the odd sensation of being on display for an imaginary audience before Sayaka tugged her along. Homura watched her girlfriend-cape rippling as she swam along, her movement graceful and practiced. She looked for all the world like a mermaid as she turned around and smiled at Homura in a way that made her heart skip a bit.

They both resurfaced above the water, laughing together at the view, looking down at the rippling colors and life in the tank before peering back up at one-another. They stayed for a moment before Homura leaned in to press their lips together. The kiss was fleeting, but was quickly followed by another, more intense. Sayaka pulled her partner close, and slipped her tongue between Homura's lips, Homura let out a small sigh of satisfaction as Sayaka, not wanting to push her luck, tried to pull away before feeling her partner's arms lace around her neck.

Homura grew more assertive, locking their mouths together as she went on the offensive, her tongue moving in exploratory patterns, hooking around to coax Sayaka's own into the exchange. Sayaka for her part, amateur she was and out of practice from having gone several years without kissing property, grew limp under the intensity, feeling warm arousal crackle through her body with the intensity of the kiss as she went weak, losing her concentration enough to sink below the surface, yelping before Homura's arm flew down to brace her waist and pull her back up, the two sharing a moment of shock before they burst into laughter.

"Well, I've found my favorite fish~" Homura said teasingly, nuzzling her girlfriend's neck as Sayaka snickered. Light shivered through the blue undercurrent to cast dancing lines on both of them, Sayaka lost herself in the happiness of the moment, teasing her hand under Homura's chin to continue before the entire aquarium suddenly fell pitch black.

"Ah." Sayaka commented, her voice echoing off the silent

"You have to be joking…" Homura grumbled before drawing in a sharp breath and holding Sayaka in a vice-like grip. "Something long touched my leg." Sayaka chuckled before reaching down to tickle Homura's ribs.

"Oohhh, is someone a little scaaare-oh, nope, I feel it too. That's an eel all right."

"Let's get out." Homura said, gripping the ledge and hoisting herself out, dragging Sayaka close behind her and closing the lid on the tank.

"How mad would you be if I touched your boobs right now?" Sayaka asked, a light but harsh smack echoing through the empty aquarium. "Ow! At least I asked."

The pair sat on the roof, shivering and wet, their tactic of transforming back into their streetclothes had half-worked-the clothes themselves were dry, but the girls themselves were still soaking wet. Homura wrung out her hair over the edge as Sayaka summoned her cape, wrapping it around the two of them.

"Soooooo, how'd you like it?" She asked, a small part of her wanting to know if Homura had fun, but a much larger part of her wanting Homura to admit she was right.

"It was fun." Homura said simply, keeping a straight face.

"How much fun?" Sayaka asked, leaning forward to try to meet Homura's eyes, the other girl turning away as her lips curled, trying to fight off a smile as Sayaka pointed at her. "Aaaahh, there it is. Go on, you can say you had fun! I promise I won't report you to the robot tester."

"Cut it out!" Homura said, covering her mouth as she burst into an uncharacteristic grin, pushing Sayaka away. "I can't believe we just did that...I've never done something so rebellious without freezing time."

"Yeah?" Sayaka asked, running a hand along Homura's thigh and reaching up with the other to stroke her wet hair as she leaned closer. "Think you can forgive yourself for dating a bad girl?" Homura, to Sayaka's surprise, responded positively, turning towards her, a residual half-smile stil gracing her features.

"I think I can live with it…" She replied, closing her eyes and leaning in for a kiss as a gust of wind blew the cape off their shoulders, Sayaka letting out a shout and grabbing for it as it danced across the roof. "Oh, shit! There it goes!" Getting up, Sayaka started to chase it round the roof as Homura laughed, both of them gripping their arms as another sudden gust of wind tossed the garment off the roof. "Brrrr...aaah! God, it's getting cold!"

"Yeah...let's go home." Homura said, standing up and walking over to her partner, gripping her hand as Sayaka pouted.

"Aaww but we just got a mood going!" She griped as Homura rolled her eyes, the pair of them stepping off the roof to begin their long walk home.

x-x-x-x-x

For the rest of the week, Sayaka was glowing. The honeymoon phase of her relationship with Homura was still going strong, and she couldn't take her mind off her roommate-which wasn't anything new, the only difference being that now being she wasn't fantasizing about beating the stuffing out of Homura. Everywhere she went, she felt as though she was floating on a cloud of warm air, and she felt as though she spent almost twice the amount of time in her own fantasies, making studying impossible as she doodled spirals in her notebook while brainstorming date ideas, or erupting into fits of giggles at the dinner table as she thought of their little tryst at the aquarium.

Homura for her part seemed to be in a similar, if reduced, state of mind. She kept her head a bit higher when she walked and Sayaka would often catch Homura staring at her before flicking her eyes away as though it had never happened. Sayaka also relished the fact that she now had the power to disarm Homura. The time-traveller grew much more demure and embarrassed when Sayaka flirted, often shutting it down, but sometimes reciprocating or humoring her with a couple affirming touches.

Although, Sayaka couldn't shake the fact that they had one speed bump they had yet to cross...sex. Homura being as stoic and hesitant about the whole situation as she was, she probably wouldn't be the one to initiate, a fact that weighed heavily on Sayaka's mind. However, up in the giddiness of new love as she was, by the end of the week Sayaka had thought of a sneaky new way to light the fuse on their relationship.

"I have a present for you." Sayaka announced, walking into the living room with her hands behind her back, trying to come off as genuine as Homura's stony gaze met her.

"What for?" Homura asked, looking up from the report she had in her lap, staunch as ever in her view that the milk of human kindness was more watery than anything.

"Your late birthday, I guess." Sayaka said, "I didn't even really manage to make you dinner properly for it, did I?"

Homura scoffed, "I haven't had a birthday for the past countless time loops, Sayaka, I think I'll live without receiving a present." Her gaze turned back down towards her paper, a clear signal she'd lost interest in the topic.

"C'mooooon, humor me. I can't return it." Sayaka lied, walking over to the chair her partner sat in as Homura sighed, putting down her papers, resigned to the fact that Sayaka was going to pester her until she listened.

"What is it?" Sayaka brought her hands up, baring a large bottle of massage oil with the most presentational smile she could muster. Homura's eyes flicked from the oil to Sayaka. "Why."

"Why? Because-well-because!" Sayaka stuttered, "You're the most high-strung person I know, you don't think you could do with a little pampering?"

"I don't get _pampered_ , I get things done." Homura said, reaching for the report again as Sayaka's foot came up, scooting the report away from the outstretched hand with her sock. Homura looked at her with stony disapproval, leaning forward out of her chair to try again as Sayaka scooted it even further, grinning impishly as Homura glared back. "If you think I'm above freezing time and putting bugs in your hair, you're mistaken."

"Hey, come oooooon. Do it for me? Please?"

"No." Came Homura's icy reply. "Why's this so important to you?"

"Because you never do anything for yourself, and you never let anyone else do anything for you." Sayaka said, hugging the bottle to her chest, "I don't think you've been spoiled by anyone for a long time and...I want you to get a chance to experience that." Homura stayed silent for a long time before muttering something. "Huh?"

"I said 'okay'." Homura huffed, standing stiffly as Sayaka mentally hi-fived herself.

"Well then! Right this way, madam." Sayaka snickered, trying to stopper her excitement as she gripped Homura's wrist and lead her into her room, where their ironing board was set up. "Get undressed to your comfort level." Sayaka continued, trying to sound like a professional masseuse as Homura sat on the ironing board, kicking her legs boredly.

"Done." She said, still fully clothed as Sayaka planted her fists on her hips.

"Hardee-har-har. Make an effort here, would you?"

"Fine." Homura breathed in annoyance, reaching down before looking back at Sayaka out of the corner of her eyes. "Turn around." Sayaka, who'd been staring as subtly as she could, rolled her eyes and obeyed.

"It's been a month now, Homura. We've lived together for three years. I think I've earned the right to see you naked."

"Is that so? And who do you think is the deciding party there?" Homura asked, tossing her shirt on Sayaka's head, making her flinch.

"Hey!" Sayaka cried, turning and reaching up to pull the sleeve away from her face, to the sight of Homura sitting up on the ironing board, kicking off her skirt as she covered her chest, her cheeks bearing a hint of pink as she kept the same expression of neutrality on her face. Reaching up to push the shirt off her face, Sayaka tried to take in as much as she could before Homura turned away.

"Enough," She snapped, definitely feeling embarrassed by now, but not walking away, and not redressing herself, "What do I do?"

"Uhh...lie down?" Sayaka suggested.

"On my back or my stomach?" Homura asked in irritation.

"Stomach." Sayaka decided, getting back on track as she approached Homura. "I read how to do this online, so I'm kind of an expert."

"Joy." Homura said, "My body is in your butterfingers' care."

"Not like it's the first time," Sayaka said, pouring a dollop of oil into her palm, noticing Homura had gone quiet, looking over to see a distant, guilty expression on her face, shoulders tensed up. It didn't take a psychic to figure out she was remembering how she took advantage of her girlfriend prior. Leaning forward, Sayaka kissed the top of her head. "Hey, relax, okay? I'm doing this because you stress so damn much." Homura hesitated before nodding, closing her eyes before cracking one open.

"You're dripping on me." Sayaka turned to see that she was indeed, oil leaking from her cupped hand onto Homura's back.

"Ah. So I am. Well, you'll be dripping yourself soon enough." She declared, snickering to herself as Homura rolled her eyes, her cheeks reddening a little more.

"Just get on with this, I wanna finish my report and go to bed." Sayaka nodded, taking that as permission to continue before turning and becoming very, very overwhelmed at the task before her.

Homura had a very thin frame, to the point at which, if Sayaka didn't know better, she would almost call frail. Her skin was smooth and pale, evidence of how little Homura and the outdoors got along. Sayaka's eyes followed her bare shoulders down the curve of her back, all the way down to her narrow hips, hugged tightly by her underwear, which extended into long, creamy legs. Sayaka admired the body laid out before her, her fingers hesitating this close, she had forgotten, with all the brave fronts and cold aggression Homura put up, how...fragile she was.

"Is everything all right back there?"

"Everything's perfect." Sayaka said, her breathy tone betraying the double-meaning of her phrase as Homura blushed to her eartips and turned away.

"I am *this* close to calling it quits, Miki." Homura hissed, her legs shuffling in soft humiliation.

"Okay, okay!" Sayaka said, slapping her cheeks to steel herself and crying out as she splattered oil all over her face. "Bleaugh!" She whined, sighing as she set about the task, her heart pounding as she started at Homura's shoulders, working her thumbs in small, deep circles, her hands coming flush with every curve as her palms kneaded and pressed with what she hoped was the right pressure. No feedback came from Homura, when Sayaka leaned forward slightly to check for a reaction, she saw Homura lying on her arms, eyes closed, her breathing slow and measured.

Her silent enjoyment made Sayaka's spirits rise, and she began exploring more locations. She noticed Homura tense up slightly when Sayaka went for her neck, the usually unexpressive girl's toes spreading in discomfort as she stirred, motivating her to move further down. Keading lower along her back, Sayaka whistled in surprise.

"Your muscles are really stiff, especially your shoulders and lower back…" Homura let out a grunt in response, which Sayaka took as confirmation and shrugged, her hands going down to Homura's feet. Looking back down at Homura, she felt a sudden stabbing awareness towards the other girl's vulnerability. During their sexual trysts, she'd never let Sayaka turn on the light, or kiss her, or touch her too intimately. Now though, she was allowing Sayaka to do all three, and for the first time, _relaxing_. Sayaka could drink in the way her eyelids twitched with a pleasurable sensation, the way her toes wriggled when Sayaka stroked her soles, and as she moved up to Homura's calves, she saw Homura's fingers press into the ironing board. As she stroked the inside of Homura's knee, she knew she was entering dangerous territory and grew bolder, moving further up and inwards slightly, slathering the oil on the inside of Homura's thighs, hearing an exhale as Sayaka pinched and squeezed her legs gently, moving hypnotically up and down, venturing back out and refreshing the oil in her palm as she caressed Homura's bottom, making the other girl arch her back slightly, pushing into it as Sayaka grinned, moving in wide circles, pushing the panties aside wherever she could to get more leverage.

Sayaka drank in the sight, Homura lying before her, her hindquarters tilted up in offering, shiny and glistening with oil alongside her slightly spread legs, her chest pressed against the ironing board, pushing against it with every shallow breath. Sakaya felt lust fill her mind's thermometer like red mercury, threatening to bust from the inside out as she forced herself to keep cool. Her hands, having a harder time resisting the temptation, gravitated towards waistbands or bra straps whenever they could, Homura's breaths becoming tinged with the occasional groan or soft gasp as Sayaka began noticing more squirming no matter where she massaged now, the skin beneath her fingers heated and slick as she reached up with one hand to slather oil onto Homura's shoulder, reaching down to her armpit, then trailing along her arm, forearm, then pressing down atop her hand as the second hand traced the thin cloth around to Homura's sex, her fingers staining the already-sullied area, oil mixing with the existing arousal, her partner gasping as the hand beneath Sayaka's own clenched. Homura's other hand reached down to abruptly grab the one between her legs.

"You don't have to do this." Homura said, turning away, her voice smooth, but bearing the slightest tremble. Sayaka felt Homura's hesitation, knowing it was their first contact since the night of their fight and leaned forward, kissing the base of Homura's neck, the oil staining her lips as she unclipped Homura's bra.

"Turn around," Sayaka whispered, close to Homura's ear, the husky tone of voice coming as naturally as breathing, "I want to see your face." Homura shivered, the words making her clench beneath Sayaka's adventurous hand as she obeyed. Turning in place, she lay face-up on the ironing board, trying to get comfortable. The view nearly made Sayaka's heart jump from her chest-Homura's lips slightly parted, her hair fussed, eyes glassy, and her cheeks flushed red as she panted, the free hand clutching the loose bra to her chest. The leaking liquid from her back gave her front the same sheen in the light. All jokes and cheap shots between them had evaporated, replaced with a mutual understanding as Sayaka leaned forward, keeping her left hand clasped in Homura's as her other reached forward, brushing aside Homura's consenting hand to let the bra slide off onto the floor to reveal her modest breasts, soft pink nipples standing perfectly erect, a pale scar between them. The scar piqued a curiosity far in the back of Sayaka's mind, but she was far more interested in claiming her satisfaction, reaching madly for the oil bottle, not wanting to take her eyes off the sight in front of her, finally grabbing it and letting it dribble onto Homura's collarbone, making the other girl draw a sudden hiss as Sayaka stopped.

"What?" She asked in a panicked tone as Homura shook her head.

"Nothing, it's just cold." A lecherous idea forming in Sayaka's mind, she moved to Homura's right breast, tilting the bottle as oil drizzled over it. "Hey! That feels weird…" Homura protested halfheartedly as Sayaka repeated the process on her stomach, making Homura's abdomen twitch as she arched her back, squirming at the chill, her hand gripping Sayaka's.

Sayaka traced a finger in the pool that had formed in Homura's navel, streaking a line down her pelvis, Homura's hips getting greedier for contact the closer the finger came.

"Was this your plan the whole time?" Homura asked in a needy groan, earning only a mischievous smile as Sayaka slipped her hand under Homura's underwear and hooked a finger around the rim, tugging it over her bottom, Homura's legs didn't help, clenching together, her face turning red as she faced away, Sayaka smiled kindly, pausing to reach up and stroke Homura's cheek before moving back down to discard the panties, gently parting her partner's thighs and looking down at her prize. Sayaka's heart was pounding so hard it throbbed in her chest as she felt the tingle of arousal reach her own cheeks, finally able to see her girlfriend laid bare.

Homura's labia were engorged, swollen pink with excitement, her clit peeking out the top, her privates covered with untrimmed black hair. Homura swallowed hard and turned away, her face now burning red as her legs tried again to cover herself up. Sayaka's hand intercepted them, sliding down to the center as she leaned over Homura, still using one leg to balance herself on the ground. Her clothing greasy and stained from the contact of their bodies as she gripped Homura's hand tightly.

"Hey. Look at me." Sayakaa said, her fingers beginning to slide around the contour of Homura's sex, making the girl's thighs clench around her wrist as Homura leaned back, keeping her eyes open and locked with her masseuse's. Sayaka's hands moved without her needing to look down, slipping to the top of the entrance, tenderly rubbing the small nub at the top as Homura pressed her head back into the ironing board, a throaty moan coming from her, her free hand flying up to cover her mouth as she swallowed hard. Sayaka felt a twinge of disappointment, those noises were so unguarded and animal, so different to the snooty, carefully-picked words that usually came out from those lips. Deciding not to push Homura any further, Sayaka ignored the stifling and brought her fingers together, beginning to rub Homura's mound with slow, precise circles. Dipping her head down, she kissed Homura's jawline, moving further down to her neck, pressing her lips against Homura's pulse and noticing how much the responding body tensed up.

Continuing her offensive, Sayaka's lips began moving closer to Homura's throat, her fingers drifting towards her clit more cyclically, building the knot of tension she felt building in Homura's body, watching every facial reaction, every gasp, every heavy breath, and every stifled moan with reverent interest. Homura turned away from the lips on her neck, the sensitive area trying to protect itself from the stimulation, but only exposing itself more to the source of its aggravation. Sayaka took advantage, suckling on Homura's skin and licking her throat, every touch drawing a sharp clench from the vagina beneath her fingers until the passion built too high and came crashing down, Sayaka's fingers gave Homura's clit one last brush and she came undone, gasping as her body clenched, the jolts of pleasure coming through hiccups of breath as her pleasure leaked out onto Sayaka's fingers, making the offender's mouth water as she moved back up to lock lips with Homura, who was sweating and catching her breath, reaching up to wrap her arms around Sayaka's neck, holding her close as she returned the kiss.

Sayaka, forgetting the precariousness of her position, brought her leg up off the ground and onto the ironing board, which disagreed and creaked, Homura's eyes flying open as she felt a slight buckle.

"Sayaka, don't-!" But it was too late, the ironing board, deciding enough was enough, came crashing down and dropped both passengers onto the ground, leaving them shell-shocked before Homura started laughing, first soft giggles that then erupted into hysterics, reaching up to brush back her hair, still naked, as she sat up slightly, seemingly unable to stop. Sayaka grinned over at her.

"It's not that funny!" She declared before a snort escaped from her mouth and she caught the contagion, joining in on the pointless laughter. Finally Homura calmed down, reaching up with a dry wrist to wipe her watery eyes.

"Wow...it's been too long."

"Yeah, I could tell." Sayaka admitted, picking the spilled bottle of oil off the ground.

"I need a shower, I've never felt so disgusting." Homura groaned, sniffing and standing up, her body dripping oil, fuzz balls from the carpet clinging to her body.

"Yeah well, you should try getting it on your clothes. I feel like I fell in a grease trap."

"Yeah." Homura echoed, both of them staring at one-another for a while before Homura shifted uncomfortably. "Thank you." She said, the sincerity in her voice powerful, the words holding more weight than the situation betrayed as Sayaka nodded in understanding, watching Homura slowly turn away and head towards the bathroom, checking to make sure she was really gone before violently pumping her fist in success and rushing over to the nearest window, throwing it open and shouting her excitement into Mitakihara's night air, feeling like she could take on a dozen witches without breaking a sweat.

After a change of clothes, naturally.

A.N. Soooo, how have you all been? It's been a grip, huh? A couple updates on "Forget-Me-Not", firstly, sorry about the update schedule, but long story short, college sucks. However, as of right now, I fully intend to continue the story and see it to its conclusion, however long that may take me.  
Also, from now onwards, the story will get much more lewd, I'll average out at about 1 sex scene per chapter, so look forward to that if you're a dirty bird. Thanks to everyone for reading and leaving reviews! No matter how short or long or simple or heartfelt they were, they really all gave me the motivation I needed to keep "Forget-Me-Not" alive, please continue to let me know how much you enjoy it!  
By the way, don't do what these crazy kids do at the aquarium, it's probably not great for the fish.


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